Carbon Forks?
 

Hi guys...

Any of you guys use them?

I've been drooling over carbon forks lately, but want to get your opinions on them.

I was about to pull the trigger and get one, but had a run in with a curb in the dark of night. It snuck up on me I swear! Up and over a traffic island full speed ahead... with no warning! I've got to wonder how well a carbon fork could deal with that sort of thing.

Are they up to the task of dropping off curbs, speeding through wheel eating pot holes... and general stupidity?

Thanks

if you get something like this:
https://www.pacecycles.com/prodims/461e.jpg
[click for linkage]
then maybe probably.

fsnl
sparky

steel is reall

I've run a Winwood carbon cyclocross fork on my Crosscheck for at least 3 years now.

http://www.winwoodbike.com/muddy.html

I bought it because it was nearly a pound lighter than Surly's steel fork - if you can believe the manufacturer's spec's, that is. Anyway, at first I was really careful with it, not knowing if it would take the abuse a steel ford can. Now I don't hesitate to jump it off curbs. And it has certainly run through it's fair share of potholes and other bad pavement, as well as a fire road which was part of my commute for a while. However, I don't know how it would fair running over curbs or traffic islands. But then some alloy or light weight steel forks might not fair so well their either.

DanO

steel will last forever until something massive happens. even if nothing massive ever happens to carbon, it will not last forever.

I ride carbon forks on 2 of my track bikes. 1 look with alu steer, and a Kineses wedge with alu steer.
The ride is nice and smooth, both have taken quite a beating and are still fine. I try not to run into brick walls or hit curbs. Still cant imagine a carbon steer.

I wouldn't rid e a carbon fork. But that's just me. Catastrophic failures are not my thing.

I thought it was really that carbon fiber has no fatigue life, it just breaks. Steel has a fatigue life, and it has a really long fatigue life, and then rather than breaking it deforms and can be repaired.

Uh no it doesn't. You're thinking Aluminium which essentially has a limited life. Just riding AL means it'll destroy itself in a time period.

As long as you don't cross the threshold for your steel frame it should last forever. Excluding rust.

Sounds like the vote is that a carbon fork will not cause spontanious combustion... but don't try to take one down a flight of stairs.

Although I wonder how a 42 mm rake would effect the handling of a pista. :D

Steel ftw. Using a carbon fork wouldn't be very smart for the riding I do. awesome central NY roads with potholes everywhere- not cool. After all "carbon fiber" is just a fancy word for... "Plastic."

Spontaneous fail ftl.

Carbon forks are for pimps, but only if you also have a Spinergy wheel.

I've ran a Felt Airfoil (pictar) on my Spicer for six months now. The fork came used with the bike, no idea how long the previous owner had it. I ride it on the street, on crushed limestone paths, at the velodrome, and anywhere else I go. No problems, its a decent fork by all accounts and gets the job done.

I'll mount my Rev-X's up and snap a photo for carbon overload one of these weekends

lotta bad information around here i think.. personally thhe only forks i have ever messed up were steel...some forks are good.. some arent.. steel and carbon

Carbon is fashion. Someday the fashion will change. Steel and Titanium last forever with normal use and maintenance.

There is no plastic in carbon fiber.

Carbon is not fashion. Bashing carbon for cred seems to be the bigger fashion point. Carbon is a perfectly valid material for building a hell of a lot of things, including forks. Riding a carbon fork hard daily is not asking for catastrophic failure - riding any component hard daily and not paying attention to its condition is. Carbon will not fail horribly without warning. Deep scratches, cracks, etc give you advance warning - things you pick up in particularly nasty scratches, the sort that would make me give any potentially damaged component close inspection whether it was carbon, steel, aluminum, titanium, phlogiston, or candle wax.

IOW, give it proper care and your carbon fork WILL NOT disintegrate beneath you.

Carbon is not fashion. Bashing carbon for cred seems to be the bigger fashion point. Carbon is a perfectly valid material for building a hell of a lot of things, including forks. Riding a carbon fork hard daily is not asking for catastrophic failure - riding any component hard daily and not paying attention to its condition is. Carbon will not fail horribly without warning. Deep scratches, cracks, etc give you advance warning - things you pick up in particularly nasty scratches, the sort that would make me give any potentially damaged component close inspection whether it was carbon, steel, aluminum, titanium, phlogiston, or candle wax.

IOW, give it proper care and your carbon fork WILL NOT disintegrate beneath you.

Yes there is. But carbon fibre is still a lot more than just fancy plastic. The way I see it, if it can withstand the pressures of flight and landing in an aircraft, it can withstand being ridden on the street in a bike. Not to mention that it looks really cool. ;)

Note: I hate the new server/etc.

I need just this. Can you post a working link to manufacturer/retailer?

uk company pace cycles manufacture them.

i'm not sure where you'd get one in poland, but they and the rc30 [the one beforehand] sometimes turn up on ebay.

fsnl
sparky

I put a 43mm rake carbon fork on my Pista (we're talking Bianchi, right?) and it handles like a whole different bike -- for the better, in my opinion. It seems "quicker" and more nimble, yet still stable. Plus, the carbon fiber helps smooth out the ride.

O RLY? If you really thought that, then you sir, are ********.

+1 to In Absentia's post: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_...forced_plastic

Cool.

I'll have to spend some time scouring the market for a fork.

I was thinking easton EC70 series straight blade... but might be able to shed some more weight with something else.

If only 1 inch were more popular for steerers. Sure would make used shopping easier!

Thanks